Psych Assessment
by elsiecarson
Summary: When Grace gets a call from the Home Office to do a psychological assessment on Boyd she decides to let him in on the process since she doesn't know how she can make a fair assessment and help Boyd keep his job. Boyd and Grace both know he's volatile and so they basically have to rig the assessment.
1. I'm Not Comfortable With This

"Well, that was interesting." Grace says to Boyd as she walks out of her office.

"What was interesting Grace?" Boyd asks quietly, which is rare for him. It's clear that Grace has something important to tell him.

"I just got a call from the assistant commissioner, which is interesting." Grace whispers.

"Oh Christ, what did he want from you? You aren't a member of the police force." Boyd is instantly angry.

"He wanted to talk about you. He has decided, in his infinite wisdom, that he and the top brass want a psychological profile done on you and the Home Office thinks, and it's rather brilliant really, that since there's already a psychologist well placed in the unit that she would be the best placed to do the evaluation." Grace explains to Boyd.

"Shit, they're devious. That is really brilliant." Boyd runs his hand through his hair. He can see the brilliance of what they're doing.

"Yes, it is brilliant because either I write a report that says you're off your rocker and you lose your job or I don't and they say I'm too close to the team and they remove me, but we can fix this. We can strategize and figure out what they want us to say." Grace continues to speak quietly.

"And you can't say no, can you?" Boyd asks already knowing the answer.

"No, they made it quite clear that I don't have a choice about this." Grace frowns.

"They're not making this easy for either of us. I'm sorry about all of this, Grace." Boyd says seriously.

"It's all right, Boyd. I know why you're doing this, so I know that you are doing something selfless for someone you think can be in the top ranks of the force. I'll find a profile we can work on together and give them what they want." Grace says gently.

"Thanks for that, Grace. I appreciate the effort you're willing to put in for this. I'd hate for Dyson to get the better of me." Boyd admits. "Let's see what we can do about this case and we'll deal with the profile later."


	2. Why Did We Get the Case?

So, I based this story on the "False Flag" episode and borrowed some of the dialogue. The story will start to diverge a more as the story continues on.

* * *

"Why are we getting and dealing with this case, Boyd? Shouldn't the terrorism squad get the case?" Mel asks.

"We don't even know what the case is yet. We have to do some investigating first. Assistant Commissioner Dyson gave us the case and we're going to see what we can do with it. If it turns out that it is a terrorism case we'll turn it over to the terrorism group. Just because there was a bomb under the car doesn't mean it's a terrorism case. Let's go down and see Frankie and see what she's got." Boyd says firmly.

Mel shoots a look at Spence and Grace before they all head down to the lab. Grace grabs Mel's elbow as they walk down the hall. "What is it Grace?"

"He knows what's he doing, Mel. Trust his instincts about this case. Something is telling him this isn't a terrorist case." Grace whispers.

"Yeah, but what about this inquiry into the unit? It doesn't sound good." Mel asks fiercely.

"Let's put it this way, Mel, you don't know everything about that situation. He'll tell you what's happening when he's ready." Grace says gently.


	3. Girl Talk

"Oh God, girl talk. I think we're in trouble Spence." Boyd groans as they board the elevator.

"As long as they don't try to involve us I don't mind." Spence replies and smirks at Boyd and Mel. "Just don't let me get sucked in to this situation."

"Hey, that's not very nice, Spence." Mel smacks Spence's arm.

"Come on, Boyd, back me up here. Men hate girl talk no matter what." Spence says defensively.

"No way, Spence. I'm not getting involved in this debate. No matter which side I pick I'll get jumped on. I'm staying out of this one." Boyd chuckles. "How stupid do you think I am? Let me give you a little piece of advice: never take sides against women. It never ends well."


	4. Why Build a Bomb That Doesn't Go Off?

"Look at this Boyd." Frankie says as the group enter the lab wearing their white lab coats.

"What is it Frankie?" Boyd asks coming over to stand next to Frankie.

"You said there was something odd about this case, but you weren't sure what. You're right. This isn't your typical terrorism case. If it was I would expect the bomb to go off, but it didn't because it wasn't designed to. Whoever made this bomb made sure it wouldn't go off. The timer doesn't work." Frankie explains.

"That's interesting. Why does a bomber build a bomb that doesn't go off?" Boyd asks curiously.

"Guilt, maybe. Sometimes bombers realize how much damage and pain they've cause and decide to stop. Pressure could be another reason. Whoever is giving the bomber targets could have been putting pressure on them to make one more bomb and the bomber decided not to make it work. Maybe the target was one the bomber couldn't bring himself to hit. It's all speculation thought." Grace thinks carefully.

"It's good speculation though, Grace. That was very good." Boyd smiles at her. "Frankie, as much information about the man in the car as possible."

"Of course, Boyd. I'll see what I can do." Frankie says quietly.


	5. Lunch Run

The rest of the team head back upstairs, leaving Frankie to her work. Spence and Mel get to work trying to find out more about the car they found. Boyd watches Grace as she pulls psychology books off the shelf to check some facts on their new case.

"Boyd, I'm doing a lunch run. What can I get you?" Grace asks as she pokes her head into Boyd's office.

"Where are you going?" Boyd asks as he looks up from the case file and the crime scene photos.

"Just to the little sandwich shop on the corner." Grace says nonchalantly.

"Get me a roast beef on white bread with mayo, mustard, lettuce, red onion, and cheddar cheese. Get me a side of potato salad too." Boyd tells Grace as he thinks carefully.

Grace jots down Boyd's order when he begins speaking. "All right, I'll be back soon."

"Can we talk over lunch, Grace?" Boyd requests.

"Sure Boyd. I'll be back soon." Grace smiles gently at Boyd. She walks down the street to their favourite shop. Everyone on the team goes out to buy lunch for everyone else once a week. The food at this place is good and the queues are short. Grace is quickly back at the unit. "Right, pastrami on rye with hot mustard and sauerkraut for Spence. Tuna and cheese on white with a side of pasta salad for Mel and I got you a bag of crisps to split. The rest is for Boyd and I."

"Oi Grace, what did Boyd order?" Spence asks as he watches Grace juggle containers to open Boyd's door.

"Roast beef on white. Why do you ask?" Grace pauses for a moment.

"Just curious." Spence shrugs.


	6. Talking Over Lunch

Grace walks into Boyd's office, sets the food down and closes the door behind her. "Lunch is here Boyd."

"Thanks Grace. I'm starving." Boyd stands up and comes over to join Grace. "Which salad container is mine?"

"It doesn't matter. I got potato salad too so pick one." Grace opens her bottle of Fanta orange and sips the cool liquid.

"What kind of sandwich did you get?" Boyd asks as he opens the sandwich boxes.

"Turkey with cheese, lettuce, cucumber, and red onion." Grace picks up her salad and a fork.

Boyd picks up half of his sandwich and bites into it. He thinks carefully as he chews. "Grace, do you think I'm doing something wrong by not being more open with the team?"

"I don't think you're necessarily doing something wrong by not talking to the team, but I think you're showing your true colours. You don't naturally trust people and you're not naturally very open either. The team is just questioning what's going on right now. I can't blame them for that. They're questioning their career choice in joining the unit right now." Grace explains to Boyd.

"I need to tell them the truth, don't I? I have to honest otherwise they'll never trust me again, will they?" Boyd runs his hand over his face.

Grace smirks as she notices a streak of mustard smeared down Boyd's face. She reaches out with her napkin and wipes the mustard up. "You should probably tell the team, Boyd, but it's up to you really."

"Jesus, I hate making decision like this." Boyd says heavily.

"You know Boyd, for being so comfortable with your position and being in charge, you don't always like making the decisions associated with being in charge. It's ironic really." Grace pulls the bag of crisps open for them to share.

"You're such a psychologist, Grace. I had never even considered that before. Eat your lunch and stop analyzing for a while." Boyd teases. He leans back on the couch with his sandwich and sighs.

"You're more worried about this review than you're letting on, aren't you?" Grace asks gently.

Boyd sighs again and says, "Yeah, I am worried, Grace. I've kind of become attached to the unit and the people who are here. I don't want this to be the reason the unit is taken over, absorbed into another unit, or disbanded altogether."

"Maybe you need to say that, Boyd. Maybe the team needs to know how worried you are and how much you would like this team to stay together if it's possible." Grace suggests gently. She puts her hand on his knee.

"Maybe I do, Grace. Maybe you're right." Boyd says softly. He picks up his salad and leans back into the couch. He has his first bite of potato salad and sighs happily. "This potato salad is the best in all of London."

"Nice deflection Boyd." Grace teases.

"You know, Grace, every time I say I want to talk I end up regretting it because you don't know when to just have a quiet moment." Boyd says grimly.

"Sorry Boyd. Sometimes I know I just want to press you a little bit because you're so close to a breakthrough. If you want some quiet time we can have it." Grace says sweetly. Grace piles some crisps into the lid of her box with the sandwich and sits it on her lap. She crunches some of her crisps.

"Are those for both of us, Grace?" Boyd asks quietly.

"Of course Boyd. Go right ahead. If I eat all of these I'll regret it later." Grace smiles cheekily, daring Boyd to comment.

"What did the kids out there get?" Boyd asks conversationally, neatly avoiding Grace's hook.

"Spence got a pastrami on rye with hot mustard and sauerkraut. Mel got a tuna and cheese on white with pasta salad on the side." Grace relays the order for lunch.

"Spence had better be carefully. If he keeps eating like that he'll gain weight." Boyd teases.

"Goodness, don't let him hear you say that. He'll never forgive you." Grace teases back. She picks up half of her sandwich and tries to relax with Boyd. The sandwiches are so good from this particular shop.

"God Grace, how do you eat these shrimp cocktail crisps? They're absolutely foul." Boyd grimaces as he tries the crisps she bought.

"Well, Spence and Mel have plain crisps out there if you want some. Shall I pour you some of this Fanta too?" Grace tells Boyd.

"Thanks Grace. I'll be right back." Boyd is being particularly kind to her today.


	7. Playful Banter

"Spence! Mel! I'm coming to grab some crisps from you! Grace bought shrimp cocktail flavoured ones and they're foul!" Boyd calls loudly.

"God Boyd, you are so picky!" Frankie says as she walks into the bullpen.

"You can't tell me you like those things!" Boyd exclaims loudly.

"I do actually. Grace, where are you?" Frankie calls through the bullpen.

"In Boyd's office." Grace calls back.

"Can I pinch some crisps from you?" Frankie asks as she steps into Boyd's office.

"Of course you can. If I eat all of them I'll regret it the rest of the week. Eat as many as you like." Grace passes Frankie the large bag of crisps.

"I don't know why no one else likes these. I think they're brilliant." Frankie sits down next to Grace and has some crisps.

Boyd comes back into his office. "Oh come on. I can't even get a seat in my own office. Move Frankie. You're in the seat I was sitting in. Sit on the other side of Grace or something if you're staying in here."

Frankie sighs and moves to sit on the other side of Grace. "Aw, did you get potato salad at that place on the corner?"

"Yes, didn't anyone ask you if you wanted some lunch? You can have some of my salad if you want. I forgot I got so much with my sandwich." Grace offers.

"Hey guys!" Boyd calls from the door to his office. "How come no one checked with Frankie about what she wanted for lunch?"

Spence looks at Mel and Mel looks at Spence and they both shrug. "Didn't think about it. Sorry Boyd. Sorry Frankie!" Mel calls.

"Well, that's just great, isn't it? We're so preoccupied with ourselves we can't remember to ask a colleague what she wants for lunch!" Boyd is frustrated.

"Don't worry about it Boyd. It's fine. Normally they all remember to ask me about lunch." Frankie leans against the door frame with her salad from Grace.

"Hey Frankie, do you want the other half of my sandwich? Grace is right. This is tons of food. I keep forgetting when we order from there." Mel asks conciliatorily.

"What did you get Mel?" Frankie asks as she walks out and sits on Mel's desk.

"I got tuna and cheese. Do you want half?" Mel asks holding the sandwich box out to Frankie.

"Thanks Mel. That's really sweet of you." Frankie smiles at her friend.


	8. Small Talk

Grace turns to look at the group. "It's really nice to see the three of them getting along so well. They're good friends."

"I'm glad they get along so well. It makes working together so much easier. Mel and Frankie are practically best friends." Boyd smiles at the trio. "How's your sandwich?"

"It's excellent as always. They give you so much food at that deli." Grace feels so full with all this lunch. "You know, we should get a small kitchen put in down here. We could have a fridge and a microwave and some counter space. We'd have more office space and less tea all over the place."

"It's funny you mention that, Grace. I was wondering if that might be a good idea. The squad room just seems with all of our tea and coffee things all over the place. It would look a lot tidier and more professional if we put a kitchen in." Boyd wipes his mouth when he finishes his sandwich.

"Why didn't someone think of that earlier?" Grace asks sipping her drink.

"Who knows, Grace, all I know is that I was consulted about what I wanted in the squad room and I certainly didn't mention a kitchen, but I suppose they didn't think we'd be here for such long hours." Boyd tells Grace. "We're one of the only specialty units who stay as late as we do with the exception of the narcotics unit."

"Do we have the budget to do that though? It would be nice, but it's expensive too." Grace says seriously.

"Probably not this year, but maybe we can pull it off next year. We need to do something about this space." Boyd admits. Grace always seems to ask him the question he doesn't want to answer. She has a way of making him feel uncomfortable and yet making him open up and talk to her.

"Well, we'll have to make do for now, but that would be a really nice addition to the unit." Grace insists.

"Well, let's put it this way, Grace, if it comes down to hiring another detective or putting a kitchen in for the unit. I'm hiring a new detective." Boyd says seriously.

"I don't disagree with that, Boyd. I just meant that it would be nice if we could if we had an unlimited budget." Grace quickly backtracks her earlier words.

"Oh, an unlimited budget would be fabulous. We could do anything we wanted. I wouldn't have to keep turning Frankie down when she asks me for new equipment. The Met always underfunds their units." Boyd is clearly daydreaming about all the things he could pull off with a bigger budget.

"Well, it's not as if I have any influence over the Met brass, Boyd, but if I did I would try and get us more money. I wish my influence at the Home Office helped us more than it does." Grace says sadly.

"You can't blame yourself for that, Grace. You do your job here wonderfully, overall. We can't ask you for more than you already do. You keep us sane every day. I really don't compliment you often enough. You really are a marvel, Grace, dealing with us every day." Boyd says honestly.

"Boyd! That's almost sweet coming from you! I don't quite know what to say. I can't quite believe you just said that." Grace turns sideways to look straight at Boyd.

"You're just not used to me being so complimentary. I'm capable of being very kind when I put my mind to it." Boyd says trying to keep a straight face.

Grace bites her lip to keep from chuckling. "I wish I really believed that, but I know you too well. We know too much about each other to believe everything we say about ourselves."

"You're so philosophical, Grace." Boyd marvels at his friend. She's so different from most other people he knows.

"Someone has to be; otherwise we'd have more trouble speculating about life for other people. We can have all the evidence in the world and we'd still have to speculate about people's lives." Grace smiles cheekily at Boyd.


	9. Speculate for Me

"So, let's speculate, a little bit, Grace. What would we be looking for if our victim in the car is an Irish terrorist?" Boyd asks snacking on his crisps.

"Well, we'd be expecting the victim to have an extreme political view that he expressed verbally or through writing. He might be someone with a personal connection to what the political situation was in Ireland in the '70s. We'd expect him to have a negative view of English politics. As soon as the victim is identified we need to know as much about his political background as possible. That will tell us if this is a terrorist case or not. Mel's worried, isn't she?" Grace asks seriously.

"Yes, she is worried. She knows Dyson gave us the case, but she's worried that if Dyson figures out this is a terrorist case and we haven't turned the case over it will jeopardize their careers." Boyd tells Grace.

"Is she right, Boyd? If we still have the case when and if it's discovered it's a terrorist case we're working on could it jeopardize Mel and Spence's career? You wouldn't do that would you?" Grace is frustrated.

"No, it wouldn't jeopardize their jobs. It might jeopardize my career, but not theirs." Boyd says honestly.

"Maybe you should say that to them. They're unsure about everything right now. This case worries them more than they're saying. They don't want to let you down." Grace says seriously.

"I probably should say something to them, but I don't want to pressure them to be part of this case if they don't feel that it's right. When I first started in the Met I got pressured into being part of some cases that we should never have been involved in and I don't want to do the same to them." Boyd says firmly.

"That's very noble of you, Boyd. I'm impressed. I didn't know any of that about you before." Grace smiles at Boyd and sets her soda down.


	10. Let's Go Over It Again

"So, let's go over it again. Why would someone build a bomb that was not designed to go off? What would be the point?" Boyd asks running his hands through his hair.

"It's just a sense of accomplishment, a sense of honour. Bomb builders have a lot of pride in their work. They each have a signature. If the bomb didn't go off it wasn't supposed to go off. Bomb makers are specific in what they want to do with each device. This is someone who can make a bomb go off or not on a whim and for some unknown reason this one was never meant to do any damage." Grace throws out a whole of information for Boyd.

"That actually makes sense." Boyd says frowning. "It actually worries me that a lot of what you said applies to me, too."

"A lot of descriptions are so general that they fit a lot of different people. I wouldn't panic. We all fall along several spectrums." Grace says gently.

"Remarkably that doesn't make me feel any better, Grace. That's not exactly what I wanted to hear." Boyd grumbles at Grace.

"Trust me Boyd. I know these things. I've taken every psychological test known to man. I know I fall on the OCD spectrum and the anti-social spectrum. It's what makes us different as people." Grace teases Boyd.

"So what makes us different from each other is our degrees of weirdness, not our degree of morality or anything." Boyd frowns.

"Oh Boyd, you're not actually that determined to see the good in people. You're just trying to see the best in yourself." Grace smiles at Boyd.

"Well, no one likes to look at the negative aspects of themselves, Grace. I'm well aware that there are parts of every person that aren't good and I have more than my fair share, but we don't like to be reminded of them constantly." Boyd teases Grace.

"Self-awareness is important, Boyd, without it we'd be a lot worse off." Grace says plainly.

"Self-awareness can also be a dangerous thing. People who have too much self-awareness and find too many negative things can become depressed." Boyd states.


	11. Harsh Assessment

The phone on Boyd's desk rings and he stands up and answers it. "Boyd."

"Boyd, get Grace and the team and get down here. I've got some new evidence." Frankie says over the phone.

"We'll be right down, Frankie. Thanks." Boyd says before he hangs up the phone.

"New evidence, Boyd?" Grace asks wiping her hands on a napkin.

"Yeah, Frankie wants us down in the lab. Let's go you two." Boyd says to Spence and Mel.

The quartet troop down to Frankie's lab and pull on white lab coats before they enter the sterile environment. "Right, so our killer and our bomber were both very smart. The killer placed a few phone books in a briefcase and placed it on the back seat. He then shot the victim and the bullet went through the body, through the seat, through the briefcase and into the phone books. The phone books were found in the boot of the car and the first two had a bullet hole in them, but no bullet. My guess is that the killer retrieved the briefcase, dumped the phone books into the boot and retrieved the bullet. This person was smart. Now, when a bomber uses a clock as a timer to set the bomb off the bend the hands so that when they meet at the set time the circuit is completed and the bomb goes off. If the clock hands are coated in plastic they have to be sanded or the circuit complete. These hands weren't sanded or bent. The circuit couldn't be completed. Everything in this case was very deliberate." Frankie tells the team.

"So, could the shooter have been a hitman?" Mel speculates.

"Well, and if the guy in the car was a terrorist it could have been the Security Services or the Army even." Spence adds to the conversation.

"If he was Irish and not on the side of independence it would have been dangerous for him. He may have been killed by the Irish." Grace suggests.

"Does who killed me him really matter though if he was a terrorist? What does it matter in the long run?" Mel asks seriously.

"Well, just because he was a terrorist, if he was a terrorist, doesn't mean he doesn't deserve to have his murder solved, Mel. Everyone deserves to be identified, buried, and mourned." Boyd says firmly.

"I don't totally agree with that, Boyd. Some people just don't deserve to have their end be happy. Some people need to rot in prison or as body in a lock-up." Mel says vehemently.

"That's a little harsh Mel. By definition, that way a lot of people wouldn't deserve the end of life that they get, including me." Boyd sounds upset. "Thanks Frankie." Boyd leaves the lab, hangs up his lab coat, and heads for the elevator.


	12. Do They Really Think That Little of Me?

Grace glances at the team and quickly follows Boyd. Mel touched a raw nerve. She doesn't catch him before the elevator. She goes back upstairs and finds Boyd sitting in his office. "What is it Boyd?"

"That's how little they think of me, isn't it? If they knew more about me what Mel just said would apply to me. They don't understand when they say things like that that it affects people." Boyd says seriously.

Grace closes the door to Boyd's office and goes over to sit next to him. She puts her arm around Boyd's shoulders and he leans against her. "That was a very self-aware, emotional thing to say. Something they said really affected you."

"When I was young I watched my father belittle and disrespect my mother and me and my brothers. I suppose when Mel started talking like that it just reminded me too much of my father." Boyd discloses.

Grace hugs him tightly and Boyd slowly slips his arm around Grace's waist. Grace almost thinks Boyd is crying, but she knows better than that. Grace and Boyd pull away from each other when there's a knock on the door.

"Hi Boyd." Mel says quietly as she enters the office. "I'm sorry if I said something that upset you. I need to remember to think a little more carefully before I speak."

"It's okay, Mel. You had a valid point and my personal feelings caused me to make an unfair judgement. Just try and show a little more sensitivity next time." Boyd says seriously in a sad tone of voice.


	13. Pull Everything We Have

"Spence and I are going to look at missing persons reports around the time the car was reported stolen and the minister was killed." Mel tells Boyd.

"Pull the file on the minister's assassination and see about who they had as suspects. My guess would be they didn't dig very far for evidence." Boyd says seriously.

"Why do you think that, Boyd?" Mel asks curiously as she leans against the doorframe.

"Just because of the attitudes during that time. If the evidence even suggested that Irish terrorism was involved it probably was and the suspect was not going to be caught, so most cases were just left unresolved. When Irish terrorists were killed it didn't matter, but the Met was always quick to blame Irish terrorists for unexplained deaths in Britain." Boyd explains.

"Do you remember that vividly, Boyd?" Mel asks enquiringly.

"Yeah, I do. I'm sure Grace remembers all of this too, but I was just starting out on the force so I got all the covert instructions on how to handle cases as they came up." Boyd says sincerely.

"I can't believe that. It sounds so conspiratorial and Draconian." Mel shakes her head and leaves Boyd and Grace in the office.


End file.
